2013 Amity budget keeps police force at same level

AMITY — Thanks to a recent earned income tax payment of $200,000, the deficit in the 2013 preliminary budget has dropped to $10,000 from $43,000, according to township secretary/treasurer JoAnne Sowers Smith.

Supervisor Terry L. Jones’ motion to advertise the $3.73 million preliminary budget with a one-tenth fire tax increase died without a second on Nov. 7.

He said the $66,000 revenue generated by the one-tenth tax levy would help fund the seven-year payment on the unfunded mandate by Berks County for all of its municipalities to buy into a new emergency-responder radio system.

“We need to increase the fire tax to cover that unfunded mandate,” said Jones. “For three years we’ve been robbing the piggy bank to pay the bills.”

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If the budget is approved by the board, the millage rate would increase from 1.8 to 1.9 mills; annual tax payments on a $100,000 assessed-property would increase from $180 to $190.

The board unanimously approved a total of $340,581.16 on six promissory notes to acquire the new radios for the fire departments, the Amity Township Police Department and Southern Berks EMS.

Township Manager Charles E. Lyon said the tentative budget includes $386.55 which, if approved by the board, would be an annual expense to acquire radios for Southern Berks. Southern Berks Ambulance operates a full-time unit in Amity Township. That expense would be in lieu of the township’s annual $500 contribution to the privately-owned ambulance company.

Fellow board members said they were not yet prepared to vote on Jones’ tax levy proposal.

“I want to think this through and look at that fire tax,” said Supervisor Richard Gokey, adding that he wasn’t told earlier of Jones’ proposal. “Is there something in the fire departments ? Monarch wants to buy a new tanker. Maybe that can be put off?”

“This is our first budget meeting,” said Supervisor Paul R. Weller. “We’ve cut everything we can cut in the last three years.”

The 2013 budget also includes a new three-year recycling contract with J.P. Mascaro & Sons of Reading.

Effective Jan. 1, Mascaro’s recycling program in Amity Township will be single-stream pickup; recycling materials will no longer need to be separated and any type of container may be used with special stickers issued by Mascaro.

Recycling will still be picked up on Fridays but with a compacting trash truck.

The budget also funds all 12 officers in the Amity Township Police Department. That is despite the announcement in July by board Chairman Robert R. Yanos that the board would need to furlough one officer in September in anticipation of a $153,000 2013 budget deficit. Yanos said that the budget deficit would result from the new, arbitrated police contact approved by the board in May that has a salary increase of 3.5 percent retroactive to Jan. 1, 2012, and a 15 percent increase in health care costs.

Prior to any action, the board was met on Aug. 1 with a meeting-room full of angry residents who protested any police department furloughs.

Resident said they would support paying an additional $2.50 in taxes to retain all 12 officers but would not support a tax increase to pay the township’s $1 million debt on Amity Community Park, Weavertown Road, and the renovations to the township and police department building.